L.A. Fashion Week Fall '02: Coalition of Los Angeles Designers
It was an evening of fashion, friends and fun on April 17 when the Coalition of Los Angeles Designers (CLAD) hosted a party to bid a final farewell to this season’s Los Angeles Fashion Week. The group’s fashion show was held at the El Rey Theater and showcased Fall 2002 clothing from Naqada by Octavio Carlin, Mona & Co., Ten:02, Nikolaki, Eisbar, Electric Barbarella, Mhope and Goretti and jewelry from Jessica Elliot.
Hosting the event was singer Niki Haris, who is perhaps most recognized for her backup vocal work with Madonna. Haris certainly held her own, keeping the crowd alive with her performances before and after the show. (Of course, those hunky male dancers didn’t hurt either.)
Naqada by Octavio Carlin hit the runway first showing a combination of looks inspired by “Egyptian mysticism” (rococo prints mixed with either Egyptian cotton or beige satin) and the glamour of Hollywood during its golden era. Highlights and crowd pleasers were the designer’s racy red and black satin dresses.
Mona & Co. was next, showing slim tops and skirts with circle and flower mohair embroideries. More elegant were flowing silk chiffon skirts and a bolero jacket, both with confetti-like detailing and a sheer black silk chiffon wrap-up scarf/top.
Acid-washed denim and lace was the look from Ten:02. Sexy denim pants and skirts (some with lace insets) paired with lace-trimmed tops had a young attitude and the 1980s written all over them. A favorite: the black off-the-shoulder sweat jacket with ivory lace pockets.
Nikolaki knows a thing or two about asymmetry. The design duo featured beautiful asymmetrical and off-the-shoulder silk dresses and blouses in red, gold and a black lace-print chiffon. Although everything seemed a standout, the opening ensemble—a black wool bolero jacket over a red silk one-shoulder wrap top and black wool knickers—gets a big thumbs-up.
Speaking of thumbs up, Eisbar gets one for capturing the essence of “California cool.” The men’s and women’s sportswear collection featured casual jeans and T-shirt-style looks with a stylish edge and an American classic flavor. For women, Eisbar introduced a new version of the legwarmer (made from jacket sleeves) in leather and suede.
Electric Barbarella exuded the essence of “rock star” (or groupie). Ultra-sexy, slim and low-waist pants came in all sorts of colorful fabrications—red herringbone and corduroy, blue plaid, stripes—with Western-style leather and lace-up trims. Tops also came trimmed in leather but varied in style from black or printed kimono-esque numbers to tanks and a denim jacket that screamed rock ’n’ roll.
Opting for something more classic was Mhope, which showed soft colored tweeds—blue, gray, brown and butter yellow—on simple and sometimes 1950s-style pieces, including a yellow tweed “swing” coat with a brown knee-length circle skirt and a gray tweed short trench jacket with a matching flared mid-length skirt. A few deep V-necks, including one on a blue zip-dress, however, did offer a touch of sex appeal.
Finally, Goretti closed the show with a mixed collection including silk sandwashed crepe pieces in turquoise and creacute;me (kudos for the turquoise lace-up knickers), a blue patchwork leather dress and maxi-coat, and a romantic group of cream-colored long, layered skirts; sheer blouses; and leather corsets worn over ruched leggings.
Jewelry designer Jessica Elliot accessorized several of the designers’ collections with her sterling silver and semi-precious beaded jewelry. —Joselle Yokogawa
